My stepmother called and told me, “You’re banned from the family beach house. I changed

The number was unfamiliar, but the message was not: “Rebecca, it’s Madeline. Can we talk?”

I hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of years of strained family dynamics pressing down on me. Madeline and I had never been particularly close, not because of anything specific between us, but due to the relentless tension Diana brewed. Still, curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to respond.

“Sure,” I texted back. “What’s up?”